Latch.



H. BITNER.

LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED man, 1914.

1,124,278. Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

WITNESSES A )NVENTOR, 6/Z z, 4/I/7 F "JRFIS PEYERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINcrnN n q HARRY BITNER, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS.

LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 11, 1914. Serial No. 817,970.

To all whom it may concern Be it lmown that I, HARRY BrrNnR, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in latches of the class designed to exert a strong pull upon a door todraw it tightly and securely into a closed position. In latches of this sort it is desirable first that there shall be no projecting portions to catch upon the clothing; second that the operation of the latch in the opening of the door shall require only a single movement of one hand which should release the latch and open the door.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a latch having a bolt which is provided with suitable means for giving it a constant tendency to move into a locked position with means for holding said bolt in the unlocked position when the door is open, also to provide a latch having a swinging bolt con stantly urged by a spring toward the locked position with a dog arranged to move antomatically into a position which holds the bolt in the unlocked position when the door is open.

To such end and others incidental thereto my invention consists in certain novel features embodied in the preferred construction which is shown in the drawing and the es sential characteristics of which are pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a complete latch in its locked position; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same with the parts in the same position; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the parts in an unlocked position and Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross section in plane 4-4 of Fig. 1, through the pivot pin of the swinging bolt with a portion of the latter and the spring which operates it broken away to show the sprlng upon the pivot pin of the dog in the horizontal plane 4 4?, Fig. 1.

In these drawings A represents the opening edge of a door and B the frame or other part against which it closes. Upon the door is secured a lock casing or cover, C, in the end portions of which are mounted pivot,

pins of a swinging bolt, D, and an oscillating dog, E. These pivot pins are best seen in Fig. 4 and are surrounded by coiled springs, 03, 6, each wound to give clock-wise rotation to its respective pivot pin. The swinging bolt D on the projecting end of the pivot pm cl is provided with a depending handle, al and a laterally projecting flange, 2 A keeper, F, is secured to the frame adacent to the edge of the door and has a laterally projecting lug, f, beneath which the flange 03 may slide as the door is closing. Said lug f is suitably rounded and located with reference to the axis of the swinging bolt as to tighten the door against the frame when the flange is forced under the lug. The dog E on the end of the pivot pin 6 has a portion 6 in line with the swinging bolt and arranged to swing downward and engage and hold the flange 623 against a return movement when the bolt is swung into the unlocked position. When the dog and the bolt swing into the position seen in Fig. 3 they engage at e to check the further movement of the dog and when they swing into the position seen in Fig. 2 they engage at e to check the further movement of the swinging bolt.

The operation of the latch is as follows: The handle (Z is grasped and pulled away from the door, rotating the bolt to free the flange d from the lug 7 after which the further pull upon the handle throws the door wide open. Meanwhile the dog E has slipped down the flange 03 into the position seen in Fig. 3 where it blocks the return movement of the bolt while the door is open.

In closing the door it may be either slammed in the ordinary manner or may be closed by grasping the handle al In either case when it reaches the position seen in Fig. 3 the top of the keeper F strikes the dog moving it up the flange d and permitting said fiange to wedge itself beneath the lug f. This it is caused to do by the spring wound upon its pivot pin.

It should be noticed that the flange d is of considerable longitudinal extent so that it picks up the lug f before the door is sufficiently closed to bring the part of the flange which finally locks the door in contact with said lug.

The construction and arrangement of the various parts of the latch may be varied considerably without materially changing the advantages thereof and hence I do not desire to limit myself to the preferred forms here shown but will point out in the follow- Patented J an. 12, 1915.

'ters Patent 1. The combination with a door and the frame against which it swings of a latch casing having suitable bearings, a bolt having a depending handle, a laterally extending pivot pin in one of said bearings and a laterally projecting flange between the same and the door frame, a dog having a laterally projecting pivot pin in the other of said bearings and swinging into engagement with said flange to lock the bolt in the open position and a keeper having a laterally projecting lug arranged to engage'said flange to lockthe door and to engage said dog as the door is closing to release said flange and permit it to move into the locked engagement.

2. The combination with a door and the frame against which it swings of a latch casing having suitable bearings parallel with the door, a locking bolt pivoted in one of said bearings at the end of the casing, a locking dog pivoted in another of said bearings adjacent to the bolt and adapted to lock the bolt in the open position, said dog and said bolt being arranged to mutually engage and limit their respective movements, and a keeper adapted for engagement with the bolt to lock the door and with the dog to release the bolt from the open position.

3. The combination with a door and frame against which it swings of a casing for the door having bearings parallel therewith, a swinging bolt having a laterally extending pivot pin in one of said bearings, a depending handle and a laterally projecting flange between its bearings and the frame, a dog having a laterally projecting pin pivoted in another of said bearings and adapted to swing into engagement with the flange to hold the bolt in the unlocked position, a spring upon the bolt pivot urging the bolt toward the locking position, a spring upon the dog pivot urging the dog into engagement with the flange and a keeper for the frame having means of engagement with said flange to lock the door and with said dog to release the bolt therefrom.

a. The combination with a door and the frame against which it swings, of a latch casing, a bolt pivoted to said casing upon an axis substantially parallel with the door, a depending handle on said bolt substan tially at right angles to said axis, a laterally projecting flange on said bolt arranged be tween the axis thereof and the frame when the bolt is looked, a dog pivoted adjacent to said bolt upon an axis substantially parallel to the door, means of engagement between said dog and said bolt operating automatically to hold the bolt in the unlocked position when it is moved into that position, and a keeper arranged to engage with said flange to lock the door and with said dog to release the bolt therefrom.

5. A combination with a door and its frame of a casing for attachment to the door, a swinging bolt pivoted thereto to swing in a plane perpendicular to the door,

a laterally extending locking flange on said bolt arranged between the bolt pivot and the frame when the bolt is locked and having an engaging surface of considerable longitudinal extent adapted to slide under the a keeper, a dog adapted to automatically lock said bolt open and a keeper for the frame adapted to engage with said dog to release the bolt and with said flange toylock the door.

In witness whereof I have signed the above application for Letters Patent at Freeport, Illinois, this 4th day of February,

HARRY BITNER.

Witnesses: s

C. WV. CHAPMAN, ELIZABETH GEMMJLL.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents,

Washington, D. G. 

